


i hope it all comes back again

by lifewasradical



Series: Band Bonding [1]
Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Band Bonding, Fluff, Friendship, Holding Hands, I have no idea When this takes place but just go with it, Jack is dumb but Alex still loves him, M/M, Swearing, Swimming, Zack makes them go to a lake for band bonding, i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28724403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifewasradical/pseuds/lifewasradical
Summary: “This is the last time that Zack is allowed to choose band bonding,” Jack complains loudly from the back of their group.Alex can’t help but agree with him as they walk up a dirt path in the middle of the woods. They’re not hiking, but the walk from the car to the cliff jumping lake that Zack had sworn was “just so cool guys, I promise” is long enough that it’s almost a hike in itself. The path winds through the trees with no signs of life ahead of them and if he didn’t know any better, Alex would think that Zack was taking them all out here to kill them off.
Relationships: Jack Barakat/Alex Gaskarth
Series: Band Bonding [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110224
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	i hope it all comes back again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bellawritess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellawritess/gifts).



> baby's first jalex! i was thinking about activities to do as staff bonding with the college kids i supervise and started thinking of a memory I had from college where we went cliff jumping as an orientation staff bonding activity and I was like hmmm this might be a fun thing to write about, so here we are! 
> 
> based off the prompt from [Bella](https://clumsyclifford.tumblr.com) : "I don't care". love you, thank you for sending me the prompt and for always being such a wonderful human 💜
> 
> title from slow burn by state champs

“This is the last time that Zack is allowed to choose band bonding,” Jack complains loudly from the back of their group.

Alex can’t help but agree with him as they walk up a dirt path in the middle of the woods. They’re not hiking, but the walk from the car to the cliff jumping lake that Zack had sworn was “ _just so cool guys, I promise_ ” is long enough that it’s almost a hike in itself. The path winds through the trees with no signs of life ahead of them and if he didn’t know any better, Alex would think that Zack was taking them all out here to kill them off.

Hell, with the way that Jack’s been complaining the whole walk, Alex wouldn’t be against sacrificing him himself.

“We all get our turn to choose, fuck off. It’s right around the next bend anyways,” Zack says from the front of the line, gesturing off into the distance a little bit. Jack mocks him under his breath, huffing about how no one says “around the bend” anymore. Alex hides his laugh behind a cough, rolling his eyes fondly as he hangs back a little to walk in step with Jack.

“Brighten up, buttercup. It’ll be fun,” Alex says, bumping shoulders with Jack playfully. He gets a fake scowl in return, Jack struggling to keep a straight face as he links a pinky with Alex’s. They walk in silence for a little longer, kicking at rocks and hopping over tree branches until they finally reach the clearing that Zack had been so adamant about.

And well? Alex gets it now.

The place is gorgeous- a giant lake surrounded by perfect marbled cliffs and suspiciously dark looking caves. It’s hidden away by trees on all sides, offering shade away from the summer heat. The water is slightly murky, concerningly so, but there’s a few people swimming around in it, treading water carefully. The swimmers stay far away from the largest cliff off to the right, where there are a few people standing at the edge looking over the side.

“Is that where we jump off?” Rian asks, holding a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. As he’s asking, a cliff jumper runs and launches themself over the edge, free falling for the twenty or so feet until they hit the water with a sickening smack.

“We’re way too fucking old for this,” Alex says, watching the way that the person finally resurfaces after just a little too long underwater.

Alex expects Jack to agree with him, but when he turns to face him, Jack is grinning wildly at the rope hanging off a tree, posed perfectly to allow for swinging into the water. “I call first!” Jack yells, tossing his backpack off onto a nearby rock.

“There’s no way I’m jumping off anything, I’m just going to sit my lazy ass on the side of the rock and dip my feet in,” Alex shares, taking off his shoes.

“You’re no fun,” Rian complains, pulling his hat and shirt off as he surveys the best place to test the water.

“Coming from you who hasn’t seen any of the Star Wars movies,” Jack jabs, reaching for the end of the rope.

“I thought we agreed to let that go!”

“I can’t hear you!” Jack shouts as he grips the rope, jumping and swinging across the rest of the dirt until he’s sailing over the water. He releases his hold, quickly grabbing his knees so he cannonballs into the water, sending ripples out around him.

When Jack resurfaces, he’s grinning wildly, looking entirely too pleased with the situation. “Get your asses in here, it’s freezing!”

“Saying it’s freezing isn’t going to do anything to get us to join you,” Alex offers, sinking down on the edge of a damp rock, careful not to slip. He sticks his feet into the water and realizes that Jack hadn’t been exaggerating, it really was freezing. He can’t see the bottom, even at the shallow edge where he is now, which really should be more alarming than it is.

Alex looks across the water, expecting to see Jack swimming freely while Rian and Zack climb to the cliff, but he’s puzzled for a moment when Jack is nowhere to be seen. He scans the lake, looking for where he might have missed the boy getting out of the water, but he comes up empty.

Right as he’s about to stand up to try to search harder, Alex feels a harsh tug on his ankles, yanking him right off the edge and into the lake water. He sputters once he’s back above the surface, shaking his head to remove the water dripping down from his hair. Alex gapes at Jack who looks far too smug for his own good. Alex pushes back the need to kiss the stupid smirk right off his face.

“You fucker!” Alex yells, splashing water at Jack. Jack retaliates with a loud laugh, turning around to swim in the other direction.

“No, get back here, I’m not done with you yet!” Alex shouts playfully, leaning forward to swim after his attacker. Jack just laughs more, diving down under the water to avoid Alex’s wrath, causing Alex to lose track of the man.

“Hey, pay attention to us!” Alex hears from above. He turns his attention to the cliff, seeing the other half of his band waving from the edge.

“Don’t die, we can’t afford to replace you after this many years!” Alex shouts up at them, switching the way he’s treading water to make sure that he’s able to watch as Zack and Rian tempt fate with jumping to their deaths. He watches as Zack catapults towards the water, flipping him off with both hands as he falls.

Similarly to when they watched the strangers jump, it takes Zack a moment too long to come back, just long enough for Alex to feel the panic that somehow he jinxed the situation. He lets that breath go when Zack resurfaces, whooping loudly once he’s able to breathe again.

Jack swims over to Alex, wrapping his arms around Alex’s shoulders as he sniffles dramatically. “They grow up so fast,” he says, wiping away a fake tear from under his eye as he watches Rian prepare to jump. Alex scoffs and pushes Jack off of him, electing to swim into the sunny patch of water where the trees aren’t hiding the light. The water is warm there, pleasantly heated by the rays. Alex wishes he had a floatie to hold him up so he could lounge here for hours, enjoying the late afternoon air.

He and Jack swim around a little, eventually joined by Zack and Rian, who won’t stop talking about how exhilarating it was to jump from that far up, how beautiful it was in the air, how far they could see from the cliff. Alex listens along, nodding appreciatively at how downright giddy his friends are about the experience. Their joy warms his heart, making him smile at the happiness in their speech.

They hang out in the sun spot for a while, shooting the shit and doing exactly what they came here to do- bond as a band. They made a commitment to each choose a location or activity to do their bonding, Zack’s being the first on the list. Alex is a little skeptical about what the rest of the band is going to choose, but he’s really come to enjoy the afternoon they’re having here.

After an hour or so, Jack complains that his fingers look like prunes so they return to shore. Alex makes quick work of pulling out his towel and drying off, at least enough that he’ll be comfortable walking back to the car. Rian and Zack do the same, still chatting about their dives and the adrenaline rush that came along with it.

Jack stands at his backpack, shuffling through the items with a worried expression on his face. Alex watches him curiously, waiting to see what has him so distressed. Finally Jack sighs and lets his hands fall to his sides, glancing up at the sky before letting his gaze fall on Alex.

“What’s wrong,” Alex asks, tugging his shirt on once he’s dried off a little bit.

“I didn’t pack a towel,” Jack grumbles, frowning dramatically down at his bag as if the towel will suddenly appear if he glares at it long enough.

Alex lets out a sharp laugh, “How’d you forget to bring a towel with you to a lake?”

“It’s not like I did it on purpose!” Jack defends, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Just take mine, it’s still vaguely dry I think,” Alex offers, holding it out in front of him.

“I’m not gonna take your towel, you’re still not fully dry. Plus I don’t deserve it after pulling you into the lake.”

“But I’ll dry off while we walk and I’d rather you have it. Please, I don’t mind,” Alex assures him, going as far as to drape the towel around Jack’s shoulders.

Jack has an unusual look on his face, one that Alex can’t describe as anything other than lovestruck, but he can’t let his mind accept that vision. Jack looks like he’s going to argue again for a moment before he relents, rubbing the slightly damp towel along his back. Alex pulls the still very dry edge of the towel up, wiping it down Jack’s face to pick up the residual water there before using both hands to towel off Jack’s hair. He rubs it a little too aggressively on purpose, trying his hardest to make Jack’s hair stick up in all different directions.

It works, because once he removes the towel, Jack blinks up at him. He resembles a dog fresh out the bath between the way his hair is situated and the way he’s pouting. Alex is struck by his second rush of longing to kiss the expression right off his face. He resists, instead handing Jack his shirt and putting his shoes back on.

The four of them begin to walk back to the car, Jack and Alex trailing just far enough behind the other two that they won’t get lost, but they still have their privacy. They don’t say much, just walk in comfortable silence, just close enough where they could touch if one of them tried. Alex steals a look at Jack and finds him staring down at Alex’s hand as if he’s trying to reason with himself to reach out and take it.

Alex bridges the space for him, lightly tangling their hands together between the two of them. If it was a little less shaded, Alex thinks he might be able to see the ghost of a blush on Jack’s cheeks. Even so, he can feel his appreciation through the little smile on his face and the way he squeezes Alex’s hand, a silent thank you.

They continue on, listening to the way that Zack and Rian’s conversation echoes in the trees as gravel crunches beneath their feet. It's peaceful for a moment, enjoying the outdoors with the band. Alex is happy they did this, content with the time spent disconnected from the world. They don’t get to spend all that much time as a group in places like this, so he appreciates the way that time slows down a little bit when they’re out here, in the middle of the woods at some hidden lake that only Zack would know about.

He’s torn from his daydream as he’s yanked to the ground, palms hitting the rocky terrain. Alex hisses, turning his head to meet Jack’s eyes. They’re both on the ground, confused at how they got there. Alex bends his head backwards and sees the root that they must have tripped over, cursing himself for not paying close enough attention as they walk.

Jack just laughs, brushing the dirt off his hands before standing up again, holding a hand out for Alex to take. Alex hears Rian and Zack scoff, muttering about how clumsy they are as he gets pulled back to his feet, dusting off his knees and inspecting them for cuts. The palms of his hands are dirty now, but thankfully both him and Jack managed to get away unharmed.

“Knew you were falling for me,” Jack jokes, winking dramatically.

Alex rolls his eyes and doesn’t say a word, silently mulling over the idea that maybe Jack is right. He stores that thought away for another time and grabs Jack’s hand again, ignoring the way that his heart rate increases at the action.

It’s not a perfect day by any means, between the missing towel and the dirt under his nails and his likely sunburn from not enough sunscreen, but Alex is content. He’s warm from the sun, warm from the physical exertion from hiking back to the car, and warm from Jack’s hand gently laced with his. In this moment, Alex thinks that he’s the happiest he’s ever been, surrounded by his boys following an afternoon adventure.

He can’t wait to see what the next band bonding experience will bring. But for now, Alex brings their intertwined hands up to his mouth and presses a kiss to the back of Jack’s hand. He’ll deal with his thoughts later, now just happy to be wrapped up in this memory for as long as he can.

**Author's Note:**

> Talk to me on Tumblr [lifewasradical](https://lifewasradical.tumblr.com) 💜


End file.
